Luka Bloom is an artist who has been around for years, but somehow he slipped by me. Not totally, I knew his name and would occasionally hear one of his songs on the radio and think, "Hmmm, that sounds pretty good." Still, I never got around to getting a CD, going to a show or otherwise following up on him. So when I put on Innocence I was surprised to find myself transported. For a few weeks I listened to the disk at least once a day, finding more depth each time.

The first thing I responded to was the lyrics. Bloom definitely has his own way of turning a phrase, although at different points I hear similarities with the likes of Bloom's fellow Irishman Van Morrison or Bob Dylan. Not bad company in my book. Take the opening verse from "Miracle Cure":

When all the fighting is done
Forgiveness
When all the blood has run
Forgiveness
The opening fist
Brings forgiveness
A wounded hand to kiss
Forgiveness.

Like much of the material on Innocence it can be heard as being personal or universal, romantic or political. Speaking of the political, I want to make a bumper sticker of the title of the closing song, "I Am Not at War With Anyone."

Taken as whole, Innocence might be perceived as a study in how we live in a time of global travel and migrations yet remain emotionally connected to our own heritage. The two tunes that deal most explicitly with the theme are "City of Chicago" and "No Matter Where You Go, There You Are."

"City of Chicago" is another telling of the Irish migration to America during the famine years. The arrangement is bare bones, just Bloom on guitar and vocal. There may be a little double tracking of the guitar, but it is easy to imagine Bloom performing this alone on stage and having it sound exactly the same. A few other tracks receive the same treatment and it shows what a talented instrumentalist Bloom is.

"No Matter Where You Go, There You Are" is a compelling story of a Muslim man who flees Algeria rather than fight in a war. He travels throughout Europe until, drawn to the sound of an Irish fiddler in Paris, he finds connection with the music and ultimately a new home in Galway. Musically it weaves middle-eastern drumming with an Irish melodic sense as it makes larger political issues personal.

"June" blends Celtic folk with chamber jazz along with repeating phrases that recall Van Morrison to marvelous effect. The backing musicians are uniformly excellent including a trio that appears to be Bloom's band; Kenneth Edge on reeds, Joe Csibi on double bass and Ray Fean on percussion and drums.

In short, Luka Bloom's Innocence is the work of a master singer/song writer/guitarist working at the top of his game.

For more, check the artist's Web site.